I started this blog yesterday afternoon and was just putting the finishing touches on it today, when I stopped to listen to something that hooked me in immediately. Then I tore up my blog. (Well, actually, I put it away for another day.) The reason for the change in plans is because I listened to the podcast our editorial director Tara Taffera had just completed with Paul Morris, president of Jack Morris Auto Glass in Memphis, Tenn. You might know Paul and, if you go back a bit, you may have known his dad, Jack. Paul, an attorney who also runs the company that was his father’s namesake, has done… Read More »
People are the heroes of the COVID-19 health crisis we are living through right now. The news is full of them—the medical personnel risking their lives, the first responders, the neighbors helping neighbors—they are heroes all for their bravery, initiative and tenacity. And not to take a single thing from or in any way diminish these most courageous of individuals, glass is an inanimate kind hero in this crisis, too. Time and time again during these past few weeks we have seen what glass has been able to give us that otherwise would have been lost to this virus …. The granddaughter joyously showing her grandfather her newly-placed engagement ring… Read More »
It’s funny how simple, throw-away sentences like “Hope you are well” or “How are you?” have taken on a new and much deeper meaning in light of the pandemic that has gripped us. COVID-19 sprung into our daily lives like the plot of the most twisted of sci-fi movies. It’s here and it’s all of ours to deal with. I hope you are well and stay healthy. I am not going to add to what you’re already dealing with, beyond reiterating how much we want to help you get through this and emerge whole on the other side of it. Our weapon in this war is accurate information, and here’s… Read More »
The Building Envelope Contractors (BEC) Conference, held early last week, will prove to be one of its most memorable editions. The 24-year old conference departed Vegas and landed in Music City USA for the first time. Its notable debut there was peppered with increasing concern about the spreading coronavirus, which kept some attendees from shaking hands or standing too close to each other. And then there was the nearby tornado that jolted attendees awake and out of their hotel rooms early Tuesday morning. I recognize that it may seem trivial to focus on the conference when 24 people lost their lives in the tornado Tuesday morning and that there are… Read More »
Well, alas, our look back at the last decade—the 10s— is coming to an end. So far we’ve tackled the top glass business stories of the decade and the top contract glazing stories of the same. It’s been a bit of pressure, a bit of fun and a bit of nostalgia to look back and choose among all the changes that took place during the past ten years. Just a reminder that these stories are my take on the biggest ones, pulled from my memory, our archives and statistics. Though they represent my opinion only, they are built from a lifetime in the glass information business. The Top Glass Industry… Read More »
Last week, we took a look at the biggest business stories in the glass and metal industry in the past decade. This week, let’s take a look at the biggest contract glazing stories of the 2010s. Before we go there, just a reminder that these stories are my take on the biggest ones, pulled from my memory, our archives and statistics. Though they represent my opinion only, they are built from a lifetime in the glass information business. Here they are: “Top Five Contract Glazing Stories of the Decade 2010-2019.” The Internationalization of the Contract Glazing Business 2010-2019 The Great Recession that seeped into the beginning of the decade made… Read More »
This month is not only the start of a new year, but a new decade. It’s come upon us before we have even figured out what to name the last one—the tens? The teens? The Roaring Twenties are about to be replaced by a whole new set of 2020s. As 2019 ended, many people and organizations (including ours) focused on the biggest stories of the year. So I thought, instead, I would reflect upon the biggest stories of the last decade. I had quite a cadre of events to pick from as I searched my memory, our archives and statistics to come up with the top five. The picks represent… Read More »
The new year is around the corner and with the year’s end comes a look back at it. 2019 was a mixed bag, notable because its news did not include the major bombshells (think CRL to CRH) of the past few years but memorable because its news has major implications for years to come. So here’s my top five stories of the year, not necessarily the most widely read, but the ones I think will prove the most significant over time. The Sale of Erie Architectural Products to YKK AP North America—This sale gives YKK a strong presence in the unitized arena and adds to its expertise—a very strategic move… Read More »
A couple of thoughts for a cold winter’s day here in the East (colder still in the Midwest I know): 1. The News Today, Oh Boy: The news this morning that the Erie Architectural Products Group had been acquired was stunning—not so much for that fact, as for who the buyer was. Erie has long been known as a well-run, forward thinking company and rumors of suitors have been in abundance for months. It would have been an excellent strategic fit for a number of companies focused on the future. The fact that YKK AP America made it its first acquisition here in the States is significant was well. YKK… Read More »
Forgive me in advance. I just can’t help myself. I am so excited that I can’t stand it and had to sit down. Here’s why. I know, I know, it’s not really about the glass industry … But then again, maybe it is. You see, baring a calamity of some type, I am going to get to cross one off the bucket list. In fact, it probably was the first item ever on my bucket list, which I began before I even knew what a bucket list was. Even at the ripe old age of ten I knew it was a wish I wanted to come true someday and it… Read More »
